Harrell Familiesof EarlyHertford County, North Carolina |
You are in Chapter 1, if you wish to move about in this site, click on one of the following sections:HarrellFamilies (Home Page) Chapter 2 (Harrells in Chowan County & the Gates area) Chapter 3 (Harrells in Bertie & the Hertford County area) Chapter 4 (Hertford County's 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Generations) Chapter 5 (John T., Eley, Elijah Two, Elisah, Thomas Two & their descendants) Chapter 6 (Nathan & Elizabeth's Known Descendants) Chapter 7 (John [b. c. 1794] & Winnifred Harrell, 3rd Generation) Chapter 8 (Josiah & Anna Harrell, 3rd Generation) Chapter 9 (Elizabeth Harrell & Silas Parker, 3rd Generation) Chapter 10 (Immigrants to the 3rd Generation of Hertford County Harrells) Chapter 11 (Immigrants to the 4th Generation of Hertford County Harrells) Chapter 1: The Early Harrells in America
There were Harrells among the early settlers in America. They did not necessarily
all leave their homelands with the Harrell name, however. Some emigrants left under the
name of Harrwell, some Harrold, and, of course, some as Harrellwhy most of them
changed to the Harrell spelling soon after they arrived in America will probably remain
forever a curiosity. There were probably several reasons for the name changesmore
than likely it was often because scribes in different regions of America spelled the names
to the best of their abilities and according to the developing accents in a given region.
That was probably more often the case when a settler did not recognize the written word.
Nonetheless, many of these early settlers ended up using the Harrell spelling, which
suggests that was already the established spelling in this placeor at least the
spelling most familiar to scribes and county clerks.
Other researchers have undertaken the task of arranging and connecting the
fragments of information that exists for the Harrells in northeastern, North Carolina.
Their work has been helpful to me and many others, so I have started this chapter with a
brief review of their work as it relates to my purpose. Then I summarize the available
information on Harrell immigrants, and try to chart their descent into the Albemarle
region of the Carolinas. Next I have attempted to plot their settlement patterns around
the area that would become Hertford County with the use of property deeds, tax lists, and
wills. With this endeavor I seek to identify the legendary Seven Harrell
Brothers who settled in northeastern, North Carolina. Some Other Research on Harrell
Ancestors in the Area
The efforts by researchers to compile the citings of Harrells beginning in the
Colonial period have found that the Harrells in Virginia during the early 1600s and 1700s
clustered in and around the Nansemond County area on Virginias southern border. The Work of Marilu Burch Smallwood
The broadest survey of these early settlers was compiled by Marilu Burch Smallwood.[1]
She listed all the references to Harrells (in its various early spellings) she could find,
and her sources of information. Marilus primary concern, however, was with a branch
of the Harrells that moved early from Virginia to South Carolina and on to Georgia. She
pays less attention to the Harrells who moved from Virginia to North Carolina and stayed
for awhilelike one or two hundred years. Nevertheless, it is obvious that she
covered all the important county, state, and federal archives and libraries which makes
her work a very useful point of departure for this early period The Work of Orrin Felton Harrell
& Margaret Harrell Williams
Another type of compilation of information on Harrells in the area is much more
modest in scope. The works of Orrin Felton Harrell and Margaret Harrell Williams, while
different projects, use much of the same information for the first generations in America,
but ultimately each focuses on one particular line of Harrells descending from an early
resident. The project compiled by Margaret is based on research done by Orrin (died 1988)
of Ahoskie, Hertford County, North Carolina.[2] Orrins research was
designed to trace his ancestors from their arrival in Virginia.
In their works, Orrin Harrell and Margaret Williams determined their lines began
with Thomas Harrwell who was born in 1606, and left England at the age of 29. He sailed on
the ship Falcon which left from Grovesend, Kent County, England on December 19, 1635.
These researchers believe Thomas changed the spelling of his name to Harrell by the time
he landed in Virginia, and they refer to him as Thomas Harrwell I, and to his son as
Thomas Harrell II. These same works indicate that Thomas Harrell II proved he was the son
and heir of Thomas Harrwell I, then deceased, and Thomas II received a grant in 1681 for
land his father had purchased in Nansemond County, Virginia. These researchers also state
that Thomas II got two additional land grants, one in 1686 and another in 1698. They add a
third generation to this line of Harrells when they cite Thomas II along with his probable
son, Thomas Harrell III, on the tax roll in 1704 for Nansemond County. Orrin and Margaret
believe Thomas Harrell III was the father of Samuel Harrell (died in 1761 in Chowan
County, North Carolina) who was their proven great, great, great, great grandfather. Orrin
and Margarets ancestor, Samuel, apparently ends up in North Carolina when the border
with Virginia is surveyed and moved down a bit. Orrin was convinced that all Harrells in
America descended from Thomas Harrwell I, and Margaret agreed. It follows then, that the
original Seven Brothers, who according to tradition, were the first Harrells to move into
North Carolina, were descended from Thomas I, II, and probably III. There is no
confirmation of this, however. I have some trouble with their conclusion because it would
mean all other Harrells who came to America had no descendantsthat is not very
likely the case.
More specifically, Orrin describes his line as ascending through David Harrell
(died 1860), then through Davids father, Samuel Harrell (died 1825), and in turn
through his father, William Harrell (died 1762), then through his father, Samuel Harrell
(died c. 1761), and then upward through three Thomas Harrells ending with the Thomas
Harrwell I, who was born in 1606. Orrins line of Harrells, starting from Samuel, was
in the area that would later be known as Gates County; Orrin himself did not get to
Hertford County, North Carolina until the 20th Century, but other descendants of Samuel
were in Hertford County much earlier. The Work of Lellie Harrell Edwards,
Katherine Edwards Meech & Travis Meech Peters
In another study Lellie Harrell Edwards and a couple of her descendants[3]
have identified their immigrant ancestor as Samuel Harold, who was born in Kent County,
England around 1662, and who settled in an area of Perquimans County that would eventually
be Gates County, North Carolina. If their Samuel settled in the Perquimans area, he more
than likely arrived in Virginia. Once again, upon arrival, they feel his name became
Harrell. These researchers claim Samuel was the Harrell who originally purchased the land
that would be known as the Harrell Farm for generations. It is thought to be
on Sugar Run. They also suggest that Samuel came with two brothers, one settling in
Nansemond County Virginia, and the other south to Bertie County, North Carolina. There is
no evidence of such brothers, but with several as yet still unconnected Harrells in the
area of Nansemond County, it is very possible. Lellie et. al. claim to descend from this Samuel (born
1662) through his son James (died 1790), and through James son Major Samuel (died
1811), and through his son Noah (died 1849). Major Samuel Harrell had twelve children,
several of whom moved from Gates to Hertford County: They were Abner, James, and Mary
WilsonAbner became the namesake of Harrellsville in Hertford County. Lellie et. al. apparently did descend from Major Samuel,
but the Majors parentage is still a bit unclear. First of all, the researchers
identified a Samuel (1662-1753), who was born in Kent County, England. I have not been
able to find a record of their Samuel coming to these shores, and they did not provide a
reference. The Work of Benjamin B. Winborne Benjamin
Winbornes work is a history of the county; not a family history, but it includes
considerable information about some of the Harrell families in and around Hertford County.
At this point, his work is of interest to me because there were several Samuel Harrells in
the area and time period, and it is often difficult to keep the information we have about
them straightit is nonetheless important to try. In this spirit, I will start by
clarifying one of his observations. Winborne wrote his History of Hertford County in the
early 1900s, and most of the time it is very useful, but occasionally it is misleading. On
one of the latter occasions, Winbornes work contains the following comment:[4]
Maj.
Samuel Harrell was on the jury list in Bertie in 1740, and had often served his county in
the capacity as Clerk of the Court, and was made major in the state troops after the war,
and resigned the office in 1783. Well,
Major Samuel was probably not on the jury list 10 years before he was born. (Winborne also
has him at the Hillsboro convention in 1788, which is consistent with other information.)
Further on in his history, when writing of the Majors son, Abner, Winborne made a
more correct statement about Major Samuel, which reads as follows:[5]
.
He was the son of Maj. Samuel Harrell, who resigned his military office in 1783. Samuel
Harrell was a soldier in the War of 1776-1782, a member of the state Convention of 1788, a
son of Abner Harrell, a freeholder in Bertie County in 1740, as appears from the jury list
of that county. Major Harrell left the following children: Noah, James, William B.,
Willis, Isaac, Andrew, and Abner, Mary and Nancy. The
second quote is correct, Major Samuels father, Abner, was on the Bertie County jury
list in 1740. Which tells us Major Samuel and his father, who was probably James Abner
Harrell, both spent a good portion of their lives in Bertie Countyprobably the
northern part that would years later become Hertford County. Several
researchers agree Major Samuel was one of the early Harrells in North Carolina, and his
presence and children are well documented. He was the son of James according to Lellie et. al., and the son of Abner according to
othersLellie et. al. suggested his name
may have been James Abner Harrell, and that he was known as Abner Harrell. It makes
perfect sense to think she was correct on this point. On the
issue of identifying Samuel Harrell, Lellie et.
al. concluded that her line was: Samuel (b. 1662); to James (b. 1708, maybe James
Abner); to Major Samuel (1750-1811, see his will of 1811); to Noah (b. 1787); to Samuel
Riddick Harrell (b. 1812); to William Preston Harrell (b. 1843); and to Lellie Hines
Harrell (b. 1875). It is
important to note at this point that Lellies account of her immigrant ancestor
(Samuel from Kent County, England) is very much like the one given first by Major
Samuels grandson, William Bernard Harrell, whose work is discussed belowLellie
et. al. may have relied on this source. The Work of William Bernard Harrell There is
no dispute about the facts that Major Samuel was born on the family farm in the Gates area
around 1750; and most researchers point to his will of 1811 as indicating the year of his
death. Major Samuels grandson, William Bernard Harrell, however, included in his
autobiography a reference to Major Samuels year of death in 1828.[6]
William Bernard (1823-1906) may have been old enough to have known his grandfather, but
because Williams immediate family was living in Suffolk, Virginia at that time, he
probably did not know him well. For our purposes, at his point, it does not matter much
which date of death is correctit is clear from the 1811 will and William
Bernards material, that they are speaking of the same person, Major Samuel. Lellie et. al. had determined they descended from Major
Samuels son, Noah, and William Bernard indicated he descended from Major
Samuels son, James (b. 1792).
In addition, William Bernard Harrell included in his work a list of his ancestors
as recorded in a family Bible. This Biblical record maintains the following:[7] Samuel
Harrell - Born on the Harrell farm near Sunbury, 1750? - He died at the same place in
1828? - A large planter and slave-owner. He was a soldier in the Revolution. He was the
son of James
Harrell - Born 1708 on the Harrell Farm. Died at his home in 1790. Planter and Merchant,
with a large country store. He was the son of Samuel
Harrell - Born 1663 in Kent County, England. Original purchaser of the Harrell Farm, where
he engaged largely in farming and also ran a store. He died there (cir.) 1753. This man is
supposed to have originally spelled his name Harold, though after his coming
to America, the name became spelled as at present. The
lineage, however, may not be as certain as Samuels grandson had determined. As I
will discuss in the coming pages, several researchers identified three or more Samuel
Harrells in the Gates area at about the same time. My point is, there has to be some
uncertainty about who Major Samuels father was, and even more uncertainty about the
identity of his grandfather. For
instance, I mentioned earlier that Winborne in his history of Hertford County stated there
was an Abner Harrell who was the father of Major Samuel Harrell.[8]
I further mentioned that Lellie et. al. had
stated that the Majors father was James. Lellie et. al. suggested we reconcile the difference by
considering there may have been a James Abner
Harrell who fathered Major Samuelthat seems reasonable, but not yet a fact. In
addition, Lellie et. al. either based their
conclusions on the information provided by William Bernard Harrell, or found information
consistent with what can be found in the latter's family Bible. They both seem to
agree that Major Samuel was the grandson of Samuel Harold (Harrell) of Kent (born there in
1662). We should also keep in mind, I still have not been able to find a record of a
Samuel Harrell (or Harold) as an emigrant from England.
In the above paragraphs, I have outlined two claims of descent from emigrant
HarrellsOrrins claim to have descended from emigrant Thomas Harrwell, and the
claim of others who link their lines to the emigrant Samuel Harold of Kent. It is not easy
to conclude that Orrins (and Margarets) line and William Bernards (and
Lellie et. al.s) line of Harrells have a
common ancestor in America because there is no convincing evidence of this yet.
Nonetheless, as stated above, Orrin and others believed this was probably the case. We can
recall, Orrin described his line as going through David Harrell (died 1860), then
Davids father Samuel Harrell (died 1825), and through his father William Harrell
(died 1762), and through Williams father, Samuel Harrell (died c. 1761), and upward
through three Thomas Harrells. Orrin speculates that Major Samuel Harrell (died 1811), the
father of Abner, may have descended directly from his Samuel Harrell who died in 1761,
thus making Orrin and Lellie distant cousinsthis is possible, but as yet very
difficult to document. The point is, the records are very skimpy, and the inferences are
very long. Nevertheless, both lines have Samuel Harrells in the same time frame, and who
settled in an area that would become Gates County, North Carolina. A major part of the
uncertainty about all Harrells here having a common emigrant ancestor results from the
loss of records by fire in Nansemond County
Virginia. In
another study, Elizabeth J. Harrell,[9] traced the line of Lott
Harrell (his estimated birth year is in the 1770s, and he died around 1814), through his
father (either Lott Sr. or his brother John Harrell), to his grandfather, Abraham Harrell
(c. 1690-1755). Elizabeth acknowledges that because so many documents from Nansemond
County, Virginia were destroyed, Lotts connection to his ancestors ...can only
be speculated upon. She does, nonetheless, feel Lott descends from the emigrant,
Thomas Harrell, who purchased land in Nansemond County in 1662 and 1676. Descending from
Thomas for several generations, Elizabeths line arrives at Abraham, who
moved south to the North Carolina Colony near the Roanoke River in Bertie County, which
was where Lott Harrell was born around 1770.
Elizabeth seems fairly certain that Abraham descended from Thomas Harrell, and that
position is consistent with Orrins conclusions which were presented in the
paragraphs abovemainly, that all the Harrells in the area descended from his
original Thomas Harrell I. Indeed, Elizabeths Abraham (c.1690-1755) could well have
been the brother (or, of course, even a cousin) of Orrins Samuel (c. 1700-1761), and
both could have descended from Thomas Harrell. These lines match well, generation to
generation. For instance, Orrins Samuel (b. c. 1700) was responsible for the
following children: Isaac, Abraham, William, Samuel, Martha, and Rachel. We know Orrin
descended from William, and consequently, we have estimated dates for William; born about
1720, and died 1762. Elizabeths Abraham had eleven children with birth years
estimated to be from 1722 to 1744, and death dates in the 1770s. The children of Samuel
and Abraham seem to be of the same generationSamuel and Abraham were probably two of
the original Seven Brothers that tradition holds were the first Harrells in North Carolina
(of course, some may have been cousins).
Once again, as with Samuel, we have no evidence that Abraham was the son of Thomas
Harrell. As Elizabeth indicates, Lotts immigrant ancestor was probably Thomas
Harrell.[10] Maintaining a spirit of
caution, I agree with Elizabeths choice of wordsit is at best a
probable relationship. It is
possible Thomas was the father of the probable brothers, Samuel and Abraham, but there are
other possibilities. They could have descended from the Thomas Harrald who died in
Virginia between 1622 and 1629; or the Thomas Harrwell who arrived in Barbados in 1635; or
John Harrold who arrived in Virginia in 1655; or Christopher and Henry Harrell who arrived
in Virginia together in 1678. The list is not endless, but it is full of possibilities. In
the following section, I have surveyed the possible Harrell immigrant ancestors. The Harrell Immigrants
As I indicated above, there were several immigrants who started or ended spelling
their name, Harrell. The first thing to acknowledge is that not all people who ended up in
America can be found on the available passenger lists. For instance, there was the Thomas
Harralde who is reported in the Minuets of Council and General Court, James City,
Virginia, 1622-29. At that place, Hugh Hayward and Robert [page 10] Fitt sore they were
present when the then deceased Thomas Harralde made his will, and they witnessed it.[11]
I will call him, Immigrant No. 1. If
Orrins Thomas Harrwell I, came to America in 1635, and the above mentioned Thomas
Harralde died here between 1622 and 1629, then we have at least two immigrant Thomases. In any
case, we can consider Orrins Thomas Harrwell I as Emigrant No. 2. This was probably
the same Thomas Harrwell, age 29, who was transported from London to Barbados on the
Falcon, December 19, 1635.[12] The Quit
Rent Rolls for Nansemond County, Virginia in 1704 show the presence of the two Thomas
HarraldsThomas II and III (as in Orrins and Elizabeths work). The Rolls
shows Thos. Harrold 652 a.: & Thomas Harrold 100 a.[13] Lellie
Edwards et. al. is pretty sure her Harrells
descend from Samuel Harold, born around 1662 in Kent County, England. But I cant
find a reference for an immigrant named Samuel Harrell (using the various spellings).
Similarly, William Bernard Harrells family Bible specifies that his line also
descends from Samuel, born in Kent County, England in 1663, and that he was the Samuel who
bought and settled the original Harrell farm in the Gates area. Again, however, I have not
found him on any passenger list, but it is hard to ignore his past presenceso I have
labeled him Emigrant No. 3.
Furthermore, there is additional information indicating all Harrells in the area
did not necessarily descend from Thomas Harrwell or Samuel Harold. The following citings
expand the first American ancestor possibilities: Emigrant No. 4 can be found in the
following reference: John Jenkins 400 acres, called Egg Neck, in Northampton Co, Va. 17
March 1655. p. 31 (49) for transportation of 8 persons, John Harrold, was one of them.[14]
According to the Virginia County Court Note Books, a John Harrold was a Virginia
Colonist of Northampton Co. Va. in 1655.[15] This is certainly the same
fellow who was brought in March 1655 by John Jenkins. Emigrants No. 5 and No. 6 came
together and in similar circumstances. On October 7, 1678, several people were apprenticed
in Bristol and came to Virginia. Among them were Christopher Harrell apprenticed to
Anthony Thieron for 8 years in Virginia; and Henry Harrell also to Thieron in Virginia,
but for 10 yearsboth came on the Victory.[16] Emigrant No. 7. Thos. Ivey on April 8, 1711 patented 374 acres in
Princess Anne Co. Va. for bringing 8 settlers. They included Garratt Harrell.[17]
As far
as I have been able to determine, these are the only Harrells to arrive in Virginia before
some of the Virginia Harrells began to move south into the Albemarle area of North
Carolina in the 1720s.
In any case, there were at least seven different Harrells who arrived on this
continent by 1711. There were, in fact, others who continued to arrive in America after
the Harrells started to move south into North Carolina: In 1730, Thomas Harrold, age 18,
apprenticed to work 6 years in Pennsylvania; and in 1734, Robert Harold, Sentenced
to transportation and reprieved for transportation Summer 1734. Suffolk.[18]
The 1730 and 1734 immigrants arrived after Harrells had already begun to move into North
Carolinaso they are not good candidates for the Harrell lines in Nansemond, County
Va. who moved down to the North Carolina area in and before the 1720s, but they could have
moved down in the 1740s or later. As I
have made clear, I am not inclined to assume all Harrells who passed through or settled in
North Carolina descend from Thomas or Samuel. In particular, I find it hard to dismiss the
1678 immigrants, Christopher and Henry (who appear together as witnesses on a deed in
Bertie County in 1741), or even the 1711 immigrant, Garratt Harrell, who must also be
considered a possible ancestor to at least one of us. We need to also keep in mind that
the Harrell lines in early Bertie and Hertford Counties used the name John in nearly every
generation. So the John Harrold who arrived in Northampton, Va. in 1655 may have been the
immigrant ancestor to at least some of the Harrell lines.
There are other references to Harrells in Nansemond County, Virginia which carry
names of Harrells, some immigrants, some their sons and even grandsons. For instance, an
item in the records of Perquimans County N.
C. contains this information:
. John Harrell of Upper Parish of Nansemond Co.
in Virginia, unto Richd Harrell, of afore for 10 lbs. Right as by assignment
of Wm. Kitchen to whom the Patent was grt. 1728.[19]
Another source cites Wm. Ward of Nansemond County Va., to Samuel Harrell, 160
acresPart of a patent to John Moore, Nov. 17, 1700.[20]
This must be the same or adjacent land to that supposedly bought by Thomas Harrell from
John Moore, and then willed to Thomas son, Samuel Sr. of Chowan County, North
Carolina. This same source also shows William Hareild was a witness to Richard Bonds
will in Nansemond Co. Va. Jan. 15, 1727.[21] In addition, Edward Harrell
married Margaret Brumwell on April 20, 1707 in Middlesex, Virginia. This may have been one
of the first settlers in North Carolina, who died in Bertie County in 1754. Another
Harrell who left his tracts in the real estate of Nansemond County, Virginia was
Francis Harrell of Nansemond County, Virginia. He sold land in 1731 to John White of
Nansemond County. This same Francis Harrell of Nansemond County, Virginia sold land to
Richard Baker on the east side of Northwest Swamp, adjoining lands of Richard Parker, in
Chowan County, North Carolina.[22] The First Records of Harrells in The
Albemarle region.
It is clear most of the first Harrell settlers in northeastern North Carolina were
from Nansemond County in Virginia. The early deeds in the area usually read, for instance,
Joseph Harrell of Nansemond County, Virginia, and the same for many other
Harrells. This point was also recognized by an early historian from Norfolk, W. Squires,
when he said, Nansemond County, Virginia, was the mother of North Carolina.
This point was reiterated by W. E. McClenny in his The
History of Gates County.[23] As
indicated, many Harrells had gathered in and around Nansemond Co., Virginia by 1720, and
it is very hard to know which immigrants they had descended from. Nevertheless, in the
following section, I have formulated a list of the Harrells in northeastern North Carolina
in the early 1700s. As I mentioned above, tradition holds that there were Seven Brothers
who were the first Harrell settlers in North Carolina., and in some cases beyond. There
are, of course, no documents indicating the first Harrells to North Carolina were
brotherssome of them may well have been cousins. More important, however, is the
fact that in the first years, there were more than seven Harrells who moved in this time
period from Virginia to northeastern North Carolina. Based on
my survey of the documents from the area, the first Harrells to settle in North Carolina
were: Samuel of Kent, Samuel of Chowan, Thomas, Joseph, John Sr., John Jr., Abraham,
Edward, Francis, and Richard. There may well have been some already in North Carolina, who
were not involved in recording deedsthus left no tracts. The Albemarle Region: Its Precincts
and Counties
The northeastern part of North
Carolina was first called the Albemarle region. The Lords Proprietors in 1663 established
the first government in Albemarle County. By 1670, Albemarle County was divided into 4
Precincts: Currituck, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Chowan. Most Harrells were in Chowan
Precinct. It takes some effort to keep tract of where they settled because part of Chowan
was split off into Bertie Precinct in 1722, then part of Bertie County split off into
Northampton County in 1741, then more of Bertie County and a little from Northampton &
Chowan Counties split off into Hertford County in 1759, and finally, part of Hertford
County and more of Chowan County split off into Gates County in 1779these are the
counties where most of the Harrells settled.
So, for the people in Hertford County, early documents are in Chowan records, after
1722 they are in Bertie County records, and after 1759, if they still exist, they are in
Hertford County records. Because
of the nearly complete burning of Hertford County records in 1862, it is necessary to
attempt sorting the Harrells in all the adjacent counties in an effort to connect the
Hertford Harrells to the first settlers in the Albemarle region. This is the long way
around the identification of the ancestors of the first Hertford Harrells, and the
evidence in fragmentary at best, but in most cases, it is all we have at this point. So in
the following section, I attempt to piece together the information we have on the Harrells
of the early Precinctsmainly Chowan and Bertie, as well as their derivative
counties. Deeds in The Early Precincts and
Counties
The deeds help place people in
regions as they first appeared and then settled in North Carolina. We must keep in mind,
however, that simply buying land in an area at that time did not constitute living there.
Often when one appeared as a witness on a deed, it was more indicative of his living in
the area.
Even though we have records of Harrells in Virginia dating back as far as the
mid-1620s, the earliest record of a Harrell in the old Albemarle area is At a Court
held at ye House of Richard Pope, Pasquotank Precinct, the 3rd. Monday in July 1694....
Edward May Clk. suit Edward Grainger vs. Richd Harrold.[24]
This
Court case illustrates government on the frontier, where government functions took place
in the homes of the officials involved. This Richard Harrold was probably related to John
Harrell of the Upper Parish of Nansemond Countythey are probably the same John and
Richard on the 1728 Right of Assignment in Perquimans County mentioned below.
As near as I can determine, the first land purchase in North Carolina by a Harrell
was in 1715when John Harrell bought land in Tyrrell County. I can not be certain it
was John Sr. of Nansemond County, but he was one of the first to purchase land in several
of the nearby counties, and that would be my best guess. Robert
and Martha Fewox sold John Harrell 150 acres on the east side of the Scuppernong River, on
Mahomet Swamp on October 14, 1715.[25] The Scuppernong River
travels from eastern Washington County into western Tyrrell County. Then it flows first
northeast, then northwest into the Albemarle Sound. It is on the south side of Albemarle Sound just across from Perquimans
County, and it is just about 30 miles east of where the Harrells began buying land near
the Roanoke and Cashie rivers of Bertie County a few years later. Perquimans County Deeds The
first recorded document by a Harrell in Perquimans County was from John Harrell of
Nansemond County, Virginia to Richard HarrellRichard was probably Johns son.
Richard paid 10 pounds for a Right of Assignment of William Kitchner, to whom
the Patent was granted in 1728.[26] There was a John Harrell Sr.
who stayed in Nansemond County long after several of his sons had moved into North
Carolina. Apparently Richard got the right to buy the land from John Harrell in 1728, and
the purchase was complete in the deed of 1737John still owned adjacent land
according to the 1737 deed. Deed activity for Harrells in early Perquimans County is
summarized in Table 1 below. Table 1 Perquimans County Deed Activity*
acquired in sold
in
witnessed in John Harrell** 1728; Richard Harrell 1728 (& 1737) 1745; Demsey Harrell ? 1768; James Harrell** ? 1770; Samuel Harrell 1768 (for Demsey) *The deeds for each person in Table 1
are as follows: John 1728, Book B, item no. 320, and Winslow, page 94 (John is shown still
owning adjacent land in 1737); Richard 1728, Book B, no. 320, and Winslow page 94; 1737,
Book C, no. 215, and Winslow page 113; 1745, Book E, no. 51, and Winslow page 140; Dempsey
& wife, Susanna, Book H, no. 40, and Winslow page 215; James, Book H, no. 125, and
Winslow page 222; Samuel Book H, no. 40, and Winslow page 215. **John and
James are both referred to as
of Nansemond County, Virginia. When
Richard Sr. bought land in southern Bertie County in 1747, he was also referred to as from
Nansemond County (Bertie County deed, Book G, page 98). Richard
Harrell was more than likely the first Harrell to settle in Perquimans County, and he
probably left descendants thereseveral of his sons, however, ended up in southern
Bertie County. Richard named his sons in his 1761 will, two of whom were Dempsey and James
(the other two were Richard Jr. and John). By the
late 1760s and early 1770s, Demsey, and James Harrell owned land in Perquimans County, but
James may still have been living in Nansemond CountyRichard Sr. may well have had a
brother named James who came down from Nansemond County, or a son named James. Demsey and
James probably inherited their land because I have not found deeds recording the
acquisition of land in their names. (James Harrell also sold a parcel of land in Chowan
County in 1774, see below.) Samuel was old enough to witness Demseys deed in 1768.
The deed activity summarized in Table 1 probably represents that of Richard Sr. from
Nansemond County and his sonswho were more then likely born in Nansemond County. Chowan Precinct/County Deeds Before
Bertie Precinct was formed in 1722, the deeds covering the area over to the Roanoke River
should be with Chowan Precinct records. The deeds from the Gates area are included in the
Chowan County records up to 1759, when Hertford County was established largely from parts
of Bertie and Chowan counties. Chowan lost its northwest territory to Hertford, and then
in 1779 lost its northeastern lands and people to the new Gates County. The
Harrell deeds listed in Table 2 are for Chowan County dating from the 1700s. Only one is
dated pre-Bertie Countythat is pre-1722. It reflects Francis
Harrells purchase in 1721. Francis land was on the east side of the Chowan
River, and consequently it did not get incorporated into Bertie Precinct in 1722. Thus,
when Francis sold his property in 1731 and 1750, he was still recording his deeds for this
property in Chowan County. It is hard to know how much time Francis spent in Chowan
County, however, because he also owned property across the river in Bertie County. He was
one of five Harrells in Bertie County on the list of Arrears of Quit Rents,
for September 1729-March 1732, and it shows him with 240 acres in Bertie Precinct.[27]
(The only Harrell on the list for the Chowan Precinct was Samuel Harrell.) In
Chowan County after Bertie County was formed, but before Gates County, the deed activity
for Harrells has been summarized in Table 2 below. Table 2 Chowan County Deed Activity* acquired
in sold in
Richard Harrell 1735; John Harrell Sr. 1730; 1750; John Harrell 1754; Francis Harrell 1721; 1731, 1735; Samuel Harrell (Son of John Jr. of Va.) 1739; Samuel Harrell Sr. 1737, 1740, 1747; Samuel Jr. etux. Mary (to Isaac), 1769; Thomas Harrell 1742, 1744, 1748, 1754; 1758; Aaron Harrell 1756; Jethro Harrell 1756; Judith Harrell 1757; Peter Harrell 1758 (from Thomas Harrell); James Harrell 1774; Isaac Harrell 1769, 1779; *The deeds
for each person in Table 2 are as follows: Richard 1735 (Book W, page 272); John Sr. 1730
(Book C-1, page 635), 1750 (Book F-1, page 222); John (Book G-1, page 121); Francis 1721
(Book F-1, page 150), 1731 (Book C-1, page 657), 1735 (Book W, page 243); Samuel, Son of
John Jr. of Va., 1739, (Book C-2, page 64); Samuel Sr. 1737 (Book W, page 363), 1740 (Book
C-2, page 120), 1747 (Book E, page 201); Samuel Jr. and wife Mary 1769 (Book O-1, page
77), 1769 (Book O-1, page 79); Thomas 1742 (Book A-1, page 185), 1744 (Book A-1, pages 283
& 284), 1748 (Book E, pages 301 & 302), 1754 (Book G-1, page 118), 1758 (Book H-1,
page 270); Aaron 1756 (Book H-1, page 152); Jethro (Book H-1, page 158); Judith (Book H-1,
page 211); Peter (Book H-1, page 270); James 1774 (Book G, page 97); Isaac 1769 (Book O-1,
page 77), 1779 (Book R-1, page 166). (Jethro, Thomas, The Younger[?], Aaron, and Peter
also owned land in the Gates area of Hertford County in 1768-1770.)
I have placed Richard and the John Harrells at the top of the list in Table 2
because they probably did not live in Chowan County. Richard was in Perquimans County and
then southern Bertie County. John Harrell Sr. was more than likely John of Nansemond
County, Virginia, who may have spent his last years in southern Bertie County. The other
John Harrell who purchased land in Chowan County in 1754 was probably John Sr.s son,
who also bought land in several counties, but settled with several of his sons in southern
Bertie County.
The early purchase in 1730 by John Harrell of Nansemond County (John Sr.) was of
land on the north side of Cypress Swamp between Eure and Gatesvillethis is the Gates
area of Chowan County that went to Hertford County in 1759, and back to Gates County in
1779. The other Harrells in Table 2 who bought and sold land in Chowan County were also,
for the most part, in the area of Chowan that would become Gates County in 1779. (I refer
to these lands as in the Gates area even though Gates County did not exist at the time.)
The James Harrell in Table 2 was probably the same James of Nansemond County, Virginia who
sold land in Perquimans County in 1770, and lived in southern Bertie County.
The 1739 deed in Table 2 for one of the Samuel Harrells identified him as
Samuel Harrell, son of John Harrell, of Va. Samuel was selling 100 acres to
Peter Parker on November 10, 1739. The land was on Gum Branch at Bulls Skull.[28]
Orrin Harrells ancestor, Samuel I, was still alive [page 16] (he died around 1762),
and presumably in the Gates area, in 1739, but Orrins Samuel was a son of Thomas
Harrell. The immigrant ancestor of William Bernard Harrell, Samuel of Kent, was also
presumably still in the Gates area in 1739 (he died around 1753), but it is not too likely
a reference would have been made to him as the son of John if he were the
Samuel born in Kent County, England. If Orrin and William Bernard had correct information
about the origins of their respective Samuels, then there was clearly a third Samuel
Harrell who owned land in the Gates area in 1739and he was the son of John Harrell
Junior of Nansemond. John of Nansemond and several, if not all, of his sons settled in
northeastern North Carolina.
While the information in Table 2 makes it clear that Samuel Harrells were in
abundance in the Chowan Precinct during the early years, it is difficult to know which one
of them was the property owner in 1729-1732 when he appeared as the only Harrell in Chowan
Precinct on the Arreas of Quit Rents listhis taxable property was 221
acres.[29] From
time-to-time, land passed from one generation to another without a recorded
deedusually by inheritance which is probably why Richard, Samuel (son of John Jr.),
and James could record a sale of land when there is no record of their purchase. When we
are fortunate, a deed will contain a history lesson, as well as an example of how property
transfers often occurred. For instance, the 1769 deed by Samuel of Chowans son,
Samuel Junior, refers to a tract of land that was passed to him by the will of his father,
and before that from his grandfather, Thomas, to his father also by will.[30]
The will
of Samuel Harrell of Chowan (Orrins Samuel I) was written on October 1, 1761. His
son, William, recorded the inventory of his estate January 25, 1762. In his will, Samuel
of Chowan gave William the land he was living on at the time; his son, Isaac, the
plantation he was living on, and a piece of land in Oystertong Neck; his son, Abraham, the
land he was living on at the time; and his son, Samuel Jr. (Orrins Samuel II), was
to receive the home plantation at the end of his mothers widowhood. Samuel of Chowan
also named his daughters, Rachel and Martha in his will. The executors named in the will
were his sons William and Isaac.[31] Samuel
of Chowans son, William, died about a year after his fatherhis will is dated
February 18, 1762. William named his wife, Elizabeth, and their youngest son, Samuel, who
was not of age at the writing of the will, and who was to be cared for by Williams
brother, Abraham. Once he came of age, Williams son, Samuel, was to inherit the
family plantation. In his will, William also made reference to his other
Children.[32] Orrin indicated that he had
found a copy of the estate settlement papers for William Harrell, presented at the October
term of 1766, in which four other children were named: Henry, Abner, Ruth, and Abselah. There
were no Chowan County deeds recorded for any Harrell from 1778 through 1825for over
47 years after Gates County was split-off from Chowan, no Harrells bought or sold land in
the latter county. Some Harrells in the Gates area may have owned property in what
remained of Chowan County, but it would have had to pass from person to person by
inheritance without a supporting deed. This may have been the case when finally in 1826
David Harrell etux. sold some property in Chowan
County.[33]
Also, not until 1826, when James Harrell purchased land in Chowan County did a
next-generation [page 17] Harrell buy more land in that County.[34]
In any case, the absence of deed activity by Harrells in the county for over 47 years
strongly suggests few, if any, Harrells were living there during that time. Most if not
all of the Chowan Harrells were living in the Gates area, and their names will reappear
when we look briefly at Gates County records. The Gates Area (in Chowan and Later
Hertford Counties)
The Gates area of Chowan County, for the most part, went to Hertford County in
1759, before it became part of the new Gates County in 1779. When Hertford County was
created, it included that part of the Gates area which began on the Chowan River at the
mouth of Bennetts Creek (the area near the points where the present day Hertford,
Gates, and Chowan counties meet), followed Bennetts Creek mostly northward to the
Gatesville area, then turned mostly eastward to just above Sunbury, and somehow ended up
at the Virginia line. The older maps make it appear the line between Chowan and the new
Hertford counties started at the mouth of Bennetts Creek on the Chowan River and
headed almost due north to the Virginia line. It should be a relatively easy matter to
determine which Harrells in the area between the Chowan River and Bennetts Creek
were indeed in Hertford County and which ones remained in Chowan County between 1759 and
1779, but unfortunately the documents recorded in Hertford County were burned in 1830, and
if not then, in 1862. Consequently, there are few surviving records to help us know which
Harrells were cut to Hertford County for that 20 year period. One of
the earliest surviving records available for Hertford County is a tax receipt book kept by
Sheriff William Murfree. This list includes the taxables in the county in 1779 who were
cut off to a new county called Gates.
The Harrells in Murfrees tax lists are contained in Table 3. As near as I can
determine, Adam, Elijah, John, and Thomas were all in the area of Hertford County that had been in Bertie County
prior to 1759that is southwest of the Chowan River. The other Harrells in Table 3
were in Hertford County, east of the Chowan River between 1759 and 1779.
When we compare these tax lists with the list of deeds recorded in Chowan County
prior to 1759, we find that only Aaron, Jethro, Peter, and the Thomases were still around
to be taxed in the Gates area of Hertford County. By 1768, however, Charles, David, Jesse,
and Josiah had appeared as taxables in the Gates area. The Samuel Harrells as well as
James and Isaac were apparently in the Gates area that remained in Chowan County until
1779. We will
get back to describing the possible Hertford County Harrells later, but first we need to
continue the description of the Harrells in the area with a look at early Bertie County
Harrells in an effort to detect which family lines were cut off into Hertford County when
it was formed in 1759. [page 18] Table 3 William Murfrees Tax Receipt
Book: 1768-1770* Harrell, Adam 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Elijah 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, John 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 Harrell, Thomas 1768 3 taxes @ 09 10 1769 3 taxes @ 10 06 1770 3 taxes @ 07 04
Harrell, Aaron 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 Harrell, Charles 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, David 1770 2 taxes @ 07 04 Harrell, Demsey 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Jesse 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Josiah 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Jethro 1769 2 taxes @ 07 04 1770 2 taxes @ 07 04 Harrell, Jesse 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Peter 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 Harrell, Thomas 1768 1 tax @ 09 10 (The Younger) 1769 1 tax @ 10 06 1770 1 tax @ 07 04 Harrell, Thomas Jr. 1770 3 taxes @ 07 04 *These
records are available on microfilm at the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources,
Division of Archives and History in Raleigh; and the records have been transcribed and
compiled in, Raymond Parker Fouts, William Murfree
Tax Receipt Book, Hertford County, North Carolina, 1768-1770 (Cocoa Florida: GenRec
Books, 1993), pp. 7-67. Bertie County (excluding the Hertford area) Harrells,
mostly from Nansemond County, Virginia, began to appear in southern Bertie County at an
early date. In fact, an early record of Quit Rents in Arrears for Bertie
Precinct, from September 1729 to March 1723, included the following property owners
Harrells:[35] John Harrell with 645 acres Abraham Harrell with 250 acres Edward Harrell with 350 acres [page 19] Francis Harrell with 240 acres Joseph Harrell with 100 acres
When most of these Harrells settled in the southern part of Bertie County, they
were just north of the Moratock (Roanoke) River and near the Cashie River. Thomas was the
first Harrell to buy land in that area. He bought 640 acres from John Lovick on May 2,
1721. The land was located just north of the Moratuck River. Thomas land
acquisition, and the deed activity of the Harrells who followed him to the area are
summarized in Table 4.
Joseph Harrell Sr. of Nansemond Co., Virginia appears to have been the second
Harrell to move into southern Bertie County. He bought 200 acres from James Smith on the
north side of the Morattock River, on August 12, 1725. In 1729, Joseph sold 100 acres of
this land to Abraham Harrell. He did not buy more land in the area until April 3, 1753,
when he purchased 300 acres from Thomas Pugh.[36] The deeds for Josephs
purchase and sale of land in southern Bertie County show Thomas, Joseph, John, and Abraham
Harrell in the same area, just above the Moratock River. Joseph Harrell Sr.s
purchase of 300 acres on April 3, 1753 was for land at Flaggy Run, adjacent to the lands
of Jethro Butler, and John Harrell (probably John Jr./Sr.). The deed was witnessed by John
Harrell, Abraham Harrell, and Mary Harrellprobably his brothers and wife or
sister-in-law. Joseph in his turn was also often a witness on deeds for other
Harrellsfor instance, he was a witness for John Harrell Jr./Sr., and in 1735, he,
along with John and Edward Harrell, witnessed a deed for a neighbor.
When Joseph was a witness for John Jr./Sr. on August 12, 1728, John was buying 630
acres from Henry Baker on the north side of the Morattock River at Flaggy Run. John
Jr./Sr. was identified as John Jr. in the 1728 deed, because he was almost
certainly the son of John Harrell of Nansemond County, Virginia. This John Jr. will later
be known as John Senior. His probable father, John of Nansemonds will was probated
in Bertie County in 1749; John Jr./Sr. died in 1759; John of Nansemonds grandson,
John Jr., died in 1755, before his father died in 1759. In an effort to keep these three
John Harrells distinct from one another, as well as from the other John Harrells in Bertie
County, I will refer to this family of Johns as John of Nansemond, John Jr./Sr., and John
Junior. The deeds recorded in the area often use the Junior and Senior designations, and
most of the time when the reference is simply to John, it was not one of the men in this
three-generation line of Johns.
John Jr./Sr. bought an additional 24 acres of woodlands on March 22, 1737, adjacent
to Edward Harrells farm. The witnesses for this deed were Edward Harrell, and John
Junior. John purchased 640 more acres on
November 14, 1747 from Thomas Barker[37]this latter purchase
from Barker was specifically divided in his will among four of his heirs. John
Jr./Sr. was a witness for a number of deeds in his area of Bertie County from 1729 to
1750many of them were for others Harrells. For instance, when Edward Harrell of
Nansemond County purchased land on December 20, 1729, John Jr./Sr. and his wife, Grace, as
well as their son John Jr. all witnessed the deed; in 1731, John Jr./Sr. witnessed a deed
for a neighbor who was selling 40 acres adjacent to the farms of George and Edward
Harrell; then in 1733, John Harrell, jurat, John Harrell, Junior witnessed a
purchase made by Abraham Harrell; and in 1750 he witnessed a deed for Edward
Harrells purchase of 330 acres in the area. These are typical deeds that reflect the
involvement of one Harrell in the property transactions of other Harrells. [page 20] Table 4 Summary of Bertie County Deed Activity
by Harrells* son
of
acquired in sold
in witnessed
in Thomas 1721 1728-1736; Joseph Sr. 1725** 1753 1729 1728-1735; John Jr./Sr. John** 1728, 1737, 1747 1751(gift to sons) 1729-1750; John 1729;** Abraham Aug. 1729(from Joseph) May 1729(for Joseph); Edward 1729,** 1737, 1749 1735, 1737, 1738; 1749, 1750 George 1731(adjacent to Edward); Other Johns 1754, 1756, 1756; Francis 1736(with Thos., jurat), 1747(for Richard Sr.); Richard Sr. 1747** 1755 1753, 1753; Isaac 1739 1734; Thomas Edward before 1738, 1743; Samuel 1743(from Thomas Jr.) 1743(for Thomas); John Richard 1739 1741(to James); James Richard 1741(from brother John); Christopher 1741(for James/John); Henry 1741(for James/John); John Jr. John Jr./Sr. 1749, 1749 1754 1733-1755; Josiah John Jr./Sr. 1751(gift from John Sr.) 1748, 1751(with John); David John Jr./Sr. 1751(gift from John Sr.) 1751(to brothers); Elias John Jr./Sr. 1751(gift from John Sr.); Ezekial John Jr./Sr. 1751(gift from John Sr.) 1754 (with John); Israel Hardy John Jr./Sr. 1751(gift from John Sr.) 1753, 1755, 1756; Jesse John Jr./Sr. 1753 Joseph Jr. Joseph Sr. 1753 1754(to brother) 1742 (with brother); Little John Joseph Sr. 1754(gift from Joseph Jr.) 1742 (with brother); John Abraham 1755. This Table does not include those
residents of Bertie County who lived in the Hertford area of the countythey are
discussed in the following section. *The deeds for each person in the
order above are as follows: Thomas 1721 (Hathaway, vol. 2, page ), 1734 (Bertie County Deed Book D, page
190), 1735 (Book E, page 49), 1736 (Book E, page 467) (Book E, page 457); Joseph Sr. of
Nansemond County, Va. 1725 (Book C, page 17), 1753 (Book G, page 474), 1729 (Book C, page
185), 1728 (Book C, page 22), 1735 (Book D, page 191); John Jr./Sr. 1728 (Book C, page
22), 1737 (Book E, page 291), 1747 (Book G, page 95), 1729 (Book C, page 177), 1731 (Book
D, page 123), 1733 (Book D, page 50), 1734 (Book D, page 185), 1735 (Book D, page 191),
1736 (Book E, page 37), 1737 (Book E, page 191), 1748 (Book G, page 172), 1750 (Book G,
page 338), 1751 (Book G, page 366); John of Nansemond County, Va. 1729 (Book C, page 119);
Abraham 1729 (Book C, page 119), (Book C, page 185); Edward of Nansemond County, Va. 1729
(Book C, page 177), 1737 (Book E, page 191), 1749 (Book H, page 397), 1750 (Book G, page
338), 1735 (Book D, page 191), 1737 (Book E, page 291), 1738 (Book E, page 498); George
1731 (Book D, page 123), 1756 (Book H, page 380); Other Johns, 1754 (Book K, page
257-260), 1756 (Book H, page 286), 1756 (Book H, page 380); Francis (of Chowan County,
Gates area) 1736 (Book E, page 467), 1747 (Book G, page 98); Richard Sr. of Nansemond
County, Va. 1747 (Book G, page 98), 1753 (Book G, page 548), 1753 (Book H, page 55), 1755
(Book H, page 179); Isaac 1739 (Book F, page 66), 1734 (Book D, page 185); Thomas Jr. 1743
(Book F, page 494), (Book F, page 495); Samuel 1743 (Book F, page 495), (Book F, page
494); James (son of Richard) 1741 (Book F, page 318), 1754 (Book K, page 254); John (son
of Richard) 1739 (Book E, page 498), 1741 (Book F, page 318); Christopher and Henry had
not bought or sold land in Bertie County, but together witnessed a deed for brothers,
James and John in 1741 (Book F, page 318); John Jr. 1749 (Book G, page 237), 1749 (Book H,
page 346), 1754 (Book H, page 174), 1737 (Book E, page 291), 1733 (Book D, page 43), (Book
D, page 50), 1736 (Book E, page 37), 1755 (Book H, page 179); Josiah 1751 (Book G, page
366), 1748 (Book G, page 172), 1751 (Book G, page 423); David 1751 (Book G, page 366),
(Book G, page 365); Elias Jr. 1751 (Book G, page 366); Ezekial 1751 (Book G, page 366),
1754 (Book H, page 74); Israel Hardy (Hardy) 1751 (Book G, page 366), 1753
(Book G, page 512), 1755 (Book H, page 180), 1756 (Book H, page 380); Jesse 1753 (Book G,
page 512); Joseph Jr. 1753 (Book G, page 474), 1754 (Book H, page 74), 1742 (Book F, page
402); John (Little John, son of Joseph Sr.) 1754 (Book H, page 74), 1742 (Book
F, page 402); John (son of Abraham) 1755 (Book H, page 180). **On
specific documents, the persons name was followed by,
of Nansemond Co.,
Va.
On May 11, 1729, John of Nansemond County, Virginia bought a small parcel of land,
8 acres, down on the north side of the
Morattuck River and south side of Flagg Runadjacent to John Harrell Jr./Sr., his
probable son. It appears one of his probable sons, Joseph, witnessed the deed, along with
Abraham, who was also probably one of his sons. There is a good likelihood John of
Nansemond had been instrumental in establishing several of his sons in the areafirst
Thomas around 1721, then Joseph in 1725, John Jr./Sr. in 1728, and then Abraham was in the
area by 1729. On May 11, 1729, John of Nansemond may have been buying a small place for
himselfthis, of course, is pure speculation.
As I mentioned above, Abraham Harrell bought 100 acres from Joseph Harrell on
August 7, 1729 in the cluster of Harrell farms. Then on December 20, 1729, Edward Harrell
of Nansemond County bought 350 acres in the same area, adjacent to Joseph Harrell. The
deed was witnessed by John Harrell Jr./Sr., his wife, Grace Harrell, and their son, John
Junior. In 1737, Edward purchased 260 acres from James Brown; in 1749, he bought 190 acres
from the Earl of Granville; and in 1750, Edward purchased 330 acres from Samuel Page.[38]
I have
not been able to find a deed describing George Harrells purchase of land in the
areabut on April 4, 1731, the Harrells neighbor, William Eason, sold some of
his land that was located adjacent to George Harrell and Edward Harrell. George probably
inherited or married his landbut he was in the area early in the migratory period. I will
pause here for a moment to speculate on some probable connections among the Harrells thus
far encountered. Recall that outside of Bertie County, Richard had a land purchase in
Perquimans County, and Francis made a purchase in the Gates area in 1721probably
while they were still in Nansemond County; and that Samuel, the son of John Jr. of
Virginia, was already settled in the Gates area before 1739. If there were, indeed, Seven
Brothers, according to tradition, who were the first Harrells to settle in North Carolina,
then I believe we may have encountered at this point, all 7 of themRichard in
Perquimans County (in 1728), Francis in the Gates area (in 1721), Samuel in the Gates area
(before 1739), and in the Bertie area Thomas (in 1721), Joseph (in 1725), John Jr./Sr. (in
1728), and then Abraham (in 1729). If one or even two of the above Harrells were not among
the brothers, then we could easily replace them with Edward (in 1729)or George (before
1731). If they were not all brothers, they were more than likely first cousins. Most of
these men are noted as witnessing deeds for each other in the area just above the Roanoke
River in Bertie County. One
could easily add to the List of early Harrells in Bertie County by simply looking at deeds
in which John Harrells were involved, but with insufficient description to classify him as
John of Nansemond, his son, John Jr./Sr., or his grandson, John Junior. The additional
John Harrells began to appear in the early 1730s. Richards son, John, was active by
the 1740s, and by the 1750s, Joseph Sr.s son, Little John, was active.
Some of the deeds classified as belonging to Other John Harrells in Table 4,
may belong to one of the Johns just mentioned above. In addition, starting in the early
1730s there was a county official who signed various documents as John Harrell, Esquire. I
will discuss this John at greater length below, because he was probably the John who ended
up in Hertford Countyhowever, he also owned considerable land in southern Bertie
County while living in Hertford County after 1759. In any case, in this catch-all category
of Other Johns, I may have a deed or two from any one of the John Harrells in
the area, if no distinction other than John Harrell was given.
In the Other Johns category, I have placed the following: On February
12, 1754, John Harrell bought 470 acres from the Earl of Granville near Williams and
his own lines; On February 15, 1756, John Harrell bought 60 acres on the north side of the
Roanoke River, adjacent to John Harrell Junior (this may be Little John who lived adjacent
to John Junior.); and on October 15, 1756, John Harrell bought 100 acres from George
Harrell, which was part of a grant given to John Harrell Junior in 1749he paid 20
pounds, it was not a gift.[39] I have not yet accounted for
Abrahams son, John, who inherited his fathers plantation in 1755.
(Abrahams John stayed in the southern Bertie area as far as I can tell.) In 1748,
a John Harrell witnessed a deed with Josiah HarrellI am pretty certain Josiah was
the son of John Jr., but I am not at all certain about who the John was in the 1748 deed.
It could have been his cousin and neighbor, Little John, but there is no way to tell for
sure. My reason for suspecting it was a John other than John Jr. or Little John is because
the 1748 deed on which their names appear was for land in the Hertford area, which is
north of where John Jr. and Little John were usually active. The 1748 deed dealt with land
on the south side of Flatt Swamp, adjacent to the lands of Edward Outlaw, Thomas and
Absolom Hollowell, William Godwin, and Joel Sandersall in the Hertford area.[40]
So Josiah was already roving, and he was probably the Josiah Harrell who ended up in Gates
County.
I discussed Francis Harrell in the section on Chowan County deeds, because he
bought and sold land in that county (the part that would become Gates County in 1779). I
mention him here simply to illustrate his relationship to the Harrells on the north side
of the Roanoke River, and to suggest he may have moved to Bertie County in his later
years. Francis was one of the first to buy in North Carolinahe bought in the Gates
area in 1721, and sold his land there to the Bakers in 1731 and 1735. After he had sold
his land in the Gates area, he appeared in southern Bertie County as a witness on a deed
along with Thomas Harrell, jurat, on December 8, 1736; and then again, he, along with John
Harrell, witnessed the deed on November 16, 1747 for Richard Harrell Sr. of Nansemond
County, when the latter bought land in southern Bertie County.[41]
Richard Harrell was a planter in Perquimans County as early as 1737, and was
involved in legal matters as early as 1694 and 1728 in that areaalso Richard Harrell
sold land in Perquimans in 1745. Then on November 16, 1747, he bought land in southern
Bertie County. In the 1747 deed, he was referred to as Richard Harrell, Sr. of Nansemond
County, Virginia. Richard bought land adjacent to another Harrell, and the deed was
witnessed by John Harrell Junior. On June 5, 1753, Richard sold some of his Bertie land to
Samuel AndrewsJohn Harrell was a witness. Then on November 30 of 1753 Richard sold
another 100 acres to John Rutland, and on May 3, 1755, he sold another 110 acres adjacent
to the lands of a Harrellthe latter deed was again witnessed by John Harrell Junior.[42]
Isaac Harrell was probably one of the first of the second generation of Harrell
settlers in North Carolinahe, like many of the second generation, may well have been
born in Nansemond County and relocated with his parents to northeastern North Carolina. In
August of 1734, Isaac witnessed a deed along with one of the John Harrells for the sale of
320 acres on the north side of Flatt Swamp. On August 11, 1739, Isaac bought 140 acres on
the north side of the Moratuck River, adjacent to the lands of William Easonmost of
the Harrells in the area lived next to or near William Eason.[43]
In addition to the Thomas Harrell who bought 640 acres just north of the Moratock
River in 1721, there is a Bertie County will dated April 29, 1831, for a Thomas Harrell.
So clearly there was a Thomas Harrell in the area from one of the other Harrell families.
Edward Harrells 1754 will identified Thomas as one of his sons.[44]
A deed on May 4, 1738, between two Virginians for the sale of 250 acres on the north side
of the Moratuck River, adjacent to Thomas Harrell, Jr., located at Spring Branch.[45]
This 1738 reference was probably to Edwards son Thomas, the reference to Thomas Jr.
presents a problem. He may have been called Junior when in fact he did not qualify for the
title. It was common to name a son after a brother, and occasionally the son was referred
to as Junior, when in fact he was a nephew. That may have been the case with Thomas Jr.,
but we have to stay open to the possibility that Thomas
Jr. was the son of Thomas of the 1721 deed, and was not mentioned in the will because he
had already been provided for. Edwards
son, Thomas, did not have a brother named Samuel, and the Thomas whose will was dated
September 15, 1786 did not have a son named Samuel. In any case, it is difficult to say
exactly who this Thomas relates to, but the two following deeds testify to his presence in
the county. On June 13, 1743, Thomas Harrell bought 300 acres (for 40 lbs.) from Caleb
Spivey. The land was adjacent to William Hinton on Village Swamp, and Theophilus Williams.
Samuel Harrell was a witness on the deed. On the same day, Thomas Harrell sold 150 acres
of the same parcel of land to Samuel (for 20 lbs.) on the east side of Village swamp, adjacent to William Hinton,
Pettegrove Salsberry, Theophilus Williams, and ______ Bond. Spiveys land and the
adjacent landowners were all located the north side of the Roanoke River.[46]
There is a possibility Samuel passed the land on to his sons. The Samuel Harrell
who bought 150 acres in southern Bertie County, may have been the Samuel whose will was
dated January 19, 1770, and probated September 1772. If so, there is a good chance it went
to the only son named in his willCader.[47]
As mentioned above, Richard Harrell did not buy land in southern Bertie County
until 1747, but his son, John, bought 200 acres from James Brown on February 13, 1738/39,
on the west side of Cashy Swamp. (It was part of a survey granted Thomas Mann for 640
acres dated February 1, 1725.) The deed was witnessed by Edward HarrellJohns
probable uncle. John sold 50 of the 200 acres to his brother, James, on February 4, 1741.
John identified his brother as James in the deed and the land as being the lower end of the Land I bought of
James Brown for 200 a. more or less
Both deeds identified the land as that
granted by patent to Thomas Mann for 640 acres on February 1, 1725.[48]
One of the more intriguing features of the 1741 deed from John to his brother James
is the joint appearance of Christopher
Harrell and Henry Harrell as witnesses. This was the first time the names of Christopher
and Henry Harrell appeared together in North Carolina documents. They had appeared
together in 1678, when the two boys came from Bristol, England to work as contract labor
in Northampton County, Virginia for 8 and 10 years respectively. (I identified Christopher
and Henry as immigrants numbers 5 and 6 in the early section on immigrants in this
chapter.) [page 24] If they were the same Christopher and Henry, they would have probably
been in their late 70s or early 80s when they witnessed the 1741 deed. We should consider
the possibility that James and John, the sons of Richard of Nansemond County, were the
grandsons of either Christopher or Henry. (Also keep in mind, Abraham had a son named
Christopher, and Edward had a son named Henrythey all lived in the same area, and
were of age before 1755, but not necessarily before 1741.) Earlier,
I described the deeds of John Jr./Sr. for the area just above the Roanoke Riverone
of his land purchases consisted of 640 acres (on November 14, 1747) from Thomas Barker. In
John Jr./Sr.s will, dated November 1, 1756, he divided the same 640 acres and other
property among his sons. Apparently his will reflected a property distribution that had
already taken place, because John Jr. was obviously provided for early-on judging by his
capacity to buy property in the 1730s, and part of the property distribution reflected in
the will was accomplished with a 1751 gift deed from John Jr./Sr. in which he dispersed
the Barker property as well as other holdings to sons, David, Elias Jr., Josiah, Ezekial,
and Israel Hardy (Hardy). Jesse, according to the 1756 will, was to get the
home plantation on which John Jr./Sr. was then living.[49] In
addition to the inherited lands, most of John Jr./Sr.s sons were involved in a
number of real estate transactions. For instance, on March 25, 1749, John Harrell Jr.
received 200 acres (at a cost of 3 Shillings) from the Earl of Granvillethe land was
located near the rest of their holdings, on the north side of the Roanoke River. Then on
September 27, of 1749, John Jr. bought 640 acres (for 6 pounds). This land was also on the
north side of the Roanoke River. On February 7, 1754, John Jr. sold the 200 acres he had
been granted by the Earl of Granville. John Jr. had also obviously inherited considerable
land, because in his 1755 will he distributed over 1000 acres to his sons.[50]
In 1748,
John Harrell Jr./Sr. witnessed a deed with his son, Josiah HarrellI am pretty
certain this Josiah was the son of John Jr./Sr., but I am not as certain about who the
John was in the 1748 deed. Josiah was a witness on another deed with an unidentified John
in 1751 relating to property in southern Bertie County.[51] John Jr./Sr.s other
son, David Harrell, had a deed recorded at the same time as his fathers May 13, 1751
deed, distributing land to his sons. Davids deed reflected the sale of land to
several of his brothersperhaps a total of 210 acres.[52] The other sons of John
Jr./Sr. appeared as witnesses from time-to-time during the 1750s, but they did not buy or
sell property with recorded deeds before the formation of Hertford County in 1759.
The item in Table 4 relating to Joseph Jr. in 1753 is actually for his father,
Joseph Harrell Sr.s purchase of 300 acres from Thomas Pugh on April 3, 1753. The
land was at Flaggy Run, adjacent to the lands of Jethro Butler, and John Harrell (probably
John Jr./Sr.). This land was apparently inherited by Joseph Jr. prior to February 23,
1754, because on that date Joseph Jr. made a deed for a gift of 20 acres to his brother,
John Harrellin the deed he identified it as
a tract of land purchased
by my father Joseph Harrell from Thomas Pugh and commonly called by the name of Sympsons
Old Field
. The land was on Flagg Run, adjacent to the lands of James Parker, and John Naren. It was witnessed by
John Harrell, George Howse, and Ezekiel Harrell.[53]
The last entry in Table 4 is for John, the son of Abraham. He may have purchased 50
acres in March of 1755 from John Yealverton of Edgecombe County. The land was adjacent to
____ Parker, Abraham Harrell, George House, and ____ Baker; the witnesses included Hardy
(or Israel Hardy) Harrell.[54] I stated he may have made
the purchase, because it could have been one of the other John Harrells in the area. I
suspect, however, it may have been John, son of Abraham, buying some land next to his
fathers farm just months before he would inherit the family plantation.
Most of the above information came from looking at the property deeds in the area;
this can be usefully supplemented by information from the tax lists for Bertie County. Tax Lists in Bertie County: 1755-1761 A survey
of the early Bertie County tax lists will help sort out which Harrells stayed in Bertie
after 1759 and which ones became residents of Hertford County. Just as with the deeds, we
will also find some information here that will be helpful in forming family clusters of
Harrells with an eye toward connecting the Hertford County Harrells to the early settlers
in Bertie County.
The first eleven entries in Table 5 are for taxable residents who, I surmise,
represent the Harrells who were cut to Hertford County in 1759. These entries, through
James, reflect the presence of nine different Harrells. John of Hertford County is on
three separate lines because I wanted to retain the titles used with his name
on the various listsIt in no way should be read to suggest that there was more than
one John Harrell in the first generation of Hertford County Harrells.
A glance at the list in Table 5 reveals the difficulty in sorting the John Harrells
into the appropriate families. I have paid special attention to the John Harrells of
Bertie County, because one of them became a principle source of Hertford County Harrells
for generations to follow. The details I have used to identify the Johns are presented in
the remaining sections of the chapter. A very brief overview is contained in the following
sentences. The John
Esq. and John of Wiccacon were probably one and the same, and he was relatively wealthy as
he appeared on a later 1779 Hertford County Tax List. How he related to the other John
Harrells on the above list is still difficult to determine. Further down the list, I have
grouped several John Harrellsmost of whom were different tax payers. The first among
them was John of Roanoke in 1758I am pretty sure he was Abrahams
son. The second John was John Jr./Sr. (his will was probated in 1759), followed by his
widow, Grace. The next entry is for John Jr.the son of John Jr./Sr. and Grace (his
will was probated in the January Court, 1756). The next two entries for John Harrell
contain short descriptions but are too difficult to read, so I am uncertain who they were,
or if they differ from the othersthe second of the two also appeared on a short list
along with Joseph Harrell, so may have been Josephs son, John. The other may well
refer to the John who was cut off into Hertford County in 1759, because he continued to
own land in Bertie County until after the 1779 Hertford County tax list (see Table 9, page
114). I am fairly certain the next person on the list, John Jr., was the son of John
of Roanoke, and grandson of Abraham. Table 5 Bertie County Tax Lists: 1755-1761 Name 1755 1756 1757 1758 1759 1760 1761 John Esq.(Letters) (1) (4) John Harrell Petty-hors (1) (also on a small list w/ Joseph) John of Wiccacon (1) Brickell Joseph (1) (1) (1) Brickell Elijah Brickell (1) Willoford * Adam Sr. Rice Rice Rice(2) Butler(3) Butterton Adam Jr. Rice Rice Rice Butler Butterton Butterton Thomas Rice Rice Rice Butler Butterton Butterton William Butterton Edward delinq. delinq. Rice Butterton James (1) (2)**** Butterton Ann (2) (2) Pugh(2) Absalom (d. 1757)*** delinq Mary(3) Mary(3, delinq) John son of Absalom (1) (5)(? son of Abm) Edward (died 1750) delinq. delinq. Henry son of Ed. Perice Perice (1) Geo(1) Pugh(1) Pugh(1) (1) Joshua son of Ed. Perice Perice (1) Geo(1) Pugh(1) Pugh(1) (1) Thomas son of Ed (1) (1) Pugh(1) Francis (2) (1) Pugh(1) Vance Henry (1) Hollowel Isaac (1) Pugh(1) Vance James Perice (1) Geo(2) Pugh(2) Pugh(2) James Hollowel John Brickell (3) (3)** Pugh(3) Pugh(3) John Harrell l---d (last raised on line)
Pugh(3) Vance(1) John Jr./Sr.(d. 1759) Geo(5) Pugh(5) John Harrell lhnesoy (?) Pugh(5) Grace, John Sr.s widow Pugh(6) John Jr.s widow Mary (3) Geo(3) Hollowel John(?) Hollowel George (son of John Jr. & Mary) (1) (1) Hollowel Josiah (1) (1) Pugh(1) Vance(1) Ezehiel (1) (1) Pugh(1) Vance David (3) (3) Pugh(3) Vance(1) Jesse (1) (2) Pugh(2) Pugh(2) Vance(1) John Jr. (1) Moses (1) Geo(1) HollowelPugh(1) (1) Richard (2) Geo(2) HollowelPugh(2) (1) Samuel (3) (3) Pugh(4) Pugh(4) Vance(1) Thomas (4) (4) Pugh(2) Vance William Pugh(1) Vance Bailis Pugh(1) (1) Lott Vance Bertie
County Tax Lists for these years can be viewed on the microfilm Bertie County List
of Taxables, 1755-1775, no. c.010.70002 from the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh,
North Carolina. Taxes prior
to 1777 were taxes on people. There was a property tax in 1715 for the Tuscarora War, but
it only lasted 7 years. Property tax became permanent in 1777. The above lists include
taxables defined as white males at least 16 years age. It is also important to note that
an individual from time-to-time appeared on two different lists in the same tax
yearusually because they had farms in different districts. When I have
included a persons name in the body of the table, it indicates that the Harrell in
the column on the left was in that persons tax district. The numbers in parentheses
indicate the number of taxables in a household. The 1761
list, as I have summarized it here, does not contained all the Harrells due to the number
of new names on the listI have only included those who also appeared on a list in a
previous year. *Elijah is
the only Harrell on Willofords 1759 list, and he is not on the 1760 or 1761 lists
for Bertie County. **He was
listed as John Harrell of Roanoke. ***Absalom
was listed in 1756, then his widow, Mary in 1757 and 1758. ****James
was in a short, untitled listthe only other Harrell was Adam. In 1758,
George Harrells tax list (Geo) had most of the Harrells on it. (George was a
Constable, thus responsible for compiling a tax list.) Another list in that same year
included Ben. Wynns, Nicholas Askew, Joseph Harrell, and John Harrell. This latter list
probably covered most of what would become Hertford CountyBen. Wynns and Nicholas
Askew were for sure cut off into Hertford County in 1759. Joseph was off the Bertie tax
list at the right time, but by Murfrees Tax List for Hertford in 1768-1770, he was
not on that Hertford List (see Table 3, page 18). (Recall, Joseph and a John were
witnesses to deeds in the Hertford area before 1759even after the county seat was
moved out of St. Johns in 1741.) I think the tax lists make it clear there was a Joseph
Harrell in the Hertford area. He simply did not appear on deeds except as a witness,
usually with a John Harrell. (Joseph could have been Johns father, but there is no
evidence to support the speculation.)
From the Bertie County Tax Roll, on October 6, 1759, Sheriff Brickell included the
following note: then Wm. Wetherington Const. of the County of Bertie I move that he
had Summoned the Persons herein mentioned to give in their Dist. of Assembly for the
present year. Wm. Brickell[55] Included in the list
Brickell was referring to were the following names: Starkey Sharp, John Harrell, Joseph
Harrell, and Nicholas Askew. This appears to be the Sheriffs effort to cut from the
Bertie County tax rolls those people who were then in the new county of Hertford. Again,
Starky Sharp, Nicholas Askew, and a John Harrell were definitely permanent residents of
Hertford Countyso also was Joseph Harrell then.
The survey of Bertie County tax lists also established that Adam Sr. and Elijah
Harrell were taxables in the Hertford areaElijah was a taxable by 1757, and was in
Hertford County by 1759. Unfortunately, he was still on a Bertie tax list,
Willofords list, in 1759. Elijah was, however, the only Harrell on Willofords
list, and did not belong on it; he was cut from the Bertie County tax lists by 1760. Adam
Sr. was off the Bertie lists by 1759, but his sons, Adam Jr. and Thomas, were still listed
as taxables on Buttertons list in 1759. It would seem Butterton simply did not want
to remove Adams family from his tax lists, because after skipping 1760, Butterton
again included Adam Sr. and his five probable sons, Adam Jr., Thomas, William, Edward, and
James, in his 1761 tax list for Bertie County. In the
next section, I have tried to identify the original Harrells to the Albemarle County in
order to find a bases for connecting the first Harrells in Hertford County to roots in
Chowan or Bertie Counties. Summary of North Carolinas First HarrellsIdentify The Seven plus Brothers
According to Orrin Harrell, and others, tradition in the area holds that there were
seven brothers who moved, or were moved by the surveyor, from Virginia to the Chowan
Precinct of Carolina. It should be kept in mind, however, the notion of seven brothers may
have originated as a loose association of cousins as well as more than one group of
brothers. In addition, I am pretty sure there were more than seven Harrells who moved into
the Albemarle region in the early 1700s, and as near as I can tell, they were married
before they arrived, and many had children who were born in Virginia. The first Harrells
in the Hertford area may have been among the first Harrells to the Albemarle Precinct, but
they were more [page 28] likely the sons of the original Seven Plus Brothers.
While several of these first settlers bought land on both the Chowan County side of the
Chowan River and the Bertie County side of the River, they tended to settle in either
upper Chowan County (in the Gates area), or in southern Bertie County (just north of the
Roanoke, and near the Cashie Rivers). The
first recorded Harrell in the Gates area of Chowan County was Francis Harrell. He was
referred to as Francis Harrell of Nansemond County, Va., in a 1721 deed, but
he sold his land on the northeast side of the Chowan River in 1731 and 1735. He was in
southern Bertie County by 1736.[56] Francis will was
probated in March of 1759 in Bertie County. Richard and John Harrell Sr. also owned land
in Chowan County during the early 1730s, but the evidence indicates they also lived in
southern Bertie County. The
early Harrells settlers who apparently stayed in the Gates area of Chowan County were
Samuel Harrellsyes, more than one. There was the Samuel of Kent who lived on the
Harrell farm near Sunbury and died there in 1753. There was also the Samuel, who was a
direct descendant of Thomas Harrell of Nansemond Countythis was Samuel of Chowan
(and the Samuel I identified by Orrin Harrell and others).
In
addition to Samuel of Kent and Samuel of Chowan, there was another Samuel who lived in the
Gates area of North Carolina. There was Samuel Harrell who was probably a brother to the
Harrells who moved from Virginia to southern Bertie County. This possibility is suggested
by the following reference: Samuel Harrell, son of John Harrell, of Va., to Peter
Parker; Nov. 10, 1739. 100 acres on Gum Branch at Bulls Skull, patented by Richard
Berryman Jany 19, 1716.[57] This was probably the John
Harrell of Nansemond County, Virginia, whose will was probated in Bertie County in 1749,
and whom I think may have been the father of most of the Seven Brothers. Most of
the first Harrells to Bertie County settled in the area just above the Roanoke River.
Joseph, John Jr./Sr., Edward, and Abraham settled in southern Bertie County in the 1720s.
They lived on adjacent farms, and sold land to each other, and often witnessed one
anothers deeds. They were probably brothers, and may have been sons of John of Nansemond County, Virginia. Joseph was the first to arrive in the area just
north of the Roanoke Riverhe was referred to as Joseph Harrell of Nansemond
Co., Va. in 1725. In December of 1729, Edward of Nansemond County bought 350 acres
adjacent to Joseph, and the deed was witnessed by John Jr./Sr. and his wife, Grace, and
their son John Junior.[58] In
addition to Joseph, John Jr./Sr., Francis, Edward and Abraham, other possible brothers in
this area were Thomas and Richard Harrell Senior. There is a reference to Thomas Harrell
in the southern Bertie area. It reads in part as follows: John Lovick deed to Thomas
Harrell in Chowan Co. N. C. for 640 acres on the Moratuck River, May 2, 1721. This item is
not among the Chowan County list of deeds, however. Richard Harrell Sr. also appeared in
deeds as early as 1728 in Perquimans County, and was selling land in Chowan by
1735he too, however, ended up in Bertie County. [59] Another
couple of possibilities emerge from Orrin Harrells work which was discussed earlier
in this chapter. Orrin thought Adam, Francis, John, and James were brothers, the core of
the Seven Brothers, and the sons of Thomas IIat least he felt they were
closely related. Adam and James are potential new members of the first Harrells to the
area, but I am inclined, at this point, to add only one of the two new names to my
tentative listthat of Adam. Adam
first appeared in the documents of Bertie County in 1735he was in the Hertford area.[60]
Because of his relatively late appearance in the area, I am inclined to think he was a son
of one of the original brothers who came from Virginiabut, of course, he may simply
have been a younger brother, or in any case, one of the last in the family to leave
Nansemond County. I will consider him one of the first generation, mainly because he was
there early, and I have not found any evidence that might exclude him. James
Harrell was still referred to as James Harrell of Nansemond Co., Va. in 1770,
but that does not exclude the possibility he came with his father as an adult. There were
several John Harrells in the area by 1741, but only one with a brother named James.[61]
They were the sons of Richard Sr., originally of Nansemond and then of Perquimans County.
I am fairly certain James in the 1741 deed moved to the Albemarle area with his father,
Richard, and as such he and his brother, John, were in the second generation of Harrells
in Carolinaso James status as one of The Seven Brothers is very uncertain.
In summary then, my preliminary list of the first settlers in the Albemarle region
of North Carolina include Samuel of Kent, Samuel of Chowan, Joseph, John Jr./Sr., Francis,
Edward, Abraham, Thomas, Richard Sr., and Adam. From among them, only a handful of
Harrells settled in the Hertford area by the mid-1730s. They were, as indicated, Adam Sr.,
John Esq., Joseph, and Elijah Harrelltheir siblings and perhaps parents were
probably in southern Bertie County. Whether
brothers or cousins, all ten of the Seven Brothers passed through Chowan and
Bertie Precincts/Counties in the early years. I am inclined to believe the descendants of
John of Nansemond County were the first Harrell inhabitants of the Hertford area; his
descendants mostly settled down on the Roanoke River. If there is a pattern, and it seems
there might be one, it is that the Harrells who eventually populated the northern part of
Hertford County (Harrellsville to Winton) came over from the Gates area; while the
Harrells who settled in southern Bertie County may have been the ones who moved up to the
St. Johns to the Ahoskie area. These brothers and cousins are described more fully in the
next several chapters.
In the next three chapters, with the use of the material presented in this chapter
and information from available wills, I have described the families of the first Harrell
settlers to the areatheir children and grandchildren when possible. In chapter 2, I
have focused primarily on the Samuels; in chapter 3, on Joseph, John Jr./Sr., Francis,
Edward, Abraham, Thomas, and Richard Senior; and in chapter 4, I focus on the first
Harrells in the Hertford area, Adam Sr., John Esq., Joseph, and Elijah Harrell. My goal in
those chapters is simple and focused: in chapters 2 and 3, I have attempted to determine the most probable [page 30] family
connections for the first Harrells of the Hertford County area; and in chapter 4, I have
described the first generation of settlers in the Hertford area, and what is known about
their descendants.
Notes[1] Marilu Burch Smallwood, Some Colonial and Revolutionary Families of North
Carolina, (Washington, North Carolina, 1968), vol. II, pages 184-186. [2] The work of Orrin F. Harrell can be
found in a short paper he wrote entitled About The Limb of The Harrell Tree Through
Which I Descended, Ahoskie, Hertford County, North Carolina, before December 1980.
His compilation with commentary was privately circulated. In December 1980, he circulated
a two page correction based on additional information he had come across. Both papers were
made available to me by Marion Johnson, the Curator of The Harrellsville Museum, Hertford
County, North Carolina. The following work was based on Orrin Harrells research, and
was organized into a broader project: Margaret Harrell Williams, The Harrell Family: Barnes, Credle, Brooks, Farrow,
Carter, Forman, Cox, Williams, (Wilson, North Carolina, 1984), pages 4-7 and 15-19.
This work is available in the Genealogical Section of the North Carolina State Library in
Raleigh, N. C.. [3] This work was edited and compiled by
Lellie Harrell Edwards, Katherine Edwards Meech, and Travis Meech Peters, Harrell Family Records, (Norfolk, Virginia, 1952).
This typed manuscript is available in the Genealogical Section of the North Carolina State
Library, Raleigh, North Carolina. [4] Benjamin B.Winborne, The Colonial and State Political History of Hertford
County, N. C. (Murfreesboro, N. C., 1906), page 57. [5] Winborne, History of Hertford County, page 196. [6] William Bernard Harrells
autobiography and related materials are in the Private Collections, P.318, called the Harrell Papers, at the North Carolina Division of
Archives and History, Raleigh, NC. [7] The Biblical record included in the
papers of William Bernard Harrell is part of the Private Collections, P.318, Harrell Papers. [8] Winborne, History of Hertford County, page 196. [9] Elizabeth J. Betty Harrell,
The Harrells: Lott Harrell (est. 1770s-c. 1814) of
North Carolina and the Mississippi Territory, his Ancestors and Descendants, ( Los
Altos, California, 1989). A copy of this work is in the Genealogical Section of the North
Carolina State Library, Raleigh, North Carolina. [10] Elizabeth J. Harrell, The Harrells: Lott Harrell,page 47. [11] Minuets of The Council and
General Court 1622-1629, Virginia Historical
Magazine, 1913, vol. 21, page 57. [12] Peter W. Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 (The
Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Md.), on CD # 350, from Broderbund, section 2,
chapter 30, page 159. [13] Virginia Quit Rent Rolls,
pp. 403, 404. Also see Annie L. W. Smith, compiler, The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704 (The
Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Md. 1987), page 4 [14] Nell Nugent, Abstracts of
Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666,
Cavaliers and Pioneers (Genealogical
Publishing Company, 1974), vol. I, page 331. [15] W. A. Crozier, Virginia County Court Note Books, vol. IV, no. 3,
page 19. [16] Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776. Section
III, chapter 19, page 146. [17] W. Mac Jones, Ivey Family, William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 7 (2nd. Series), page 93. [18] Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants,section IV, chapter 33, 1730, page 181; and Coldham, Emigrants in Bondage, section VI, chapter 2, page
875. [19] Perquimans County, deed Book B, item
no. 320. In Mrs, Watson Winslow, History of
Perquimans County North Carolina (Baltimore,
Md., 1990), page 94. [20] J. R. B. Hathaway, Abstract of
Conveyances, North Carolina Historical and
Genealogical Register, vol. III, no. 1,
Jan. 1903, page 130. [21] Hathaway, Abstract of
Wills, North Carolina Register, vol. I, no. 1, page 133. [22] Hathaway, Abstract of
Conveyances, North Carolina Register, vol.
II, no. 3, page 450. [23] Two works have been jointly published
by the Gates County Arts Council Bicentennial Committee, Gatesville, N. C., no date given.
They are Isaac S. Harrell, Gates County to 1860,
circa 1916; and W. E. McClenny, The History of Gates
County, The Gates County Index, 1933-1934. See page 66 in the Gates County Arts
Councils volume for this note. [24] Hathaway, Miscellaneous Items, The North Carolina Register,
(July 1901), vol. II, no. 3, page 465. The original is in Edenton, North Carolina. [25] Hathaway, Abstracts of
Conveyances, The North Carolina Register, (April 1900), vol. I, no. 2, page
289. [26] Perquimans County, deed Book B, item
no. 320; Winslow, History of Perquimans County,
page 94. [27] Clark, Arreas of Quit
Rents, State Records of North Carolina, vol.
XXII, miscellaneous. [28]Chowan County deed, Book C-2, page 64.
Also in Hathaway, Abstract of Conveyances, North Carolina Register, vol. III, no. 1, page
134. Gum Branch rises in southwest Gates County and flows
northeast into Taylor Millpond. William S. Powell, The
North Carolina Gazetteer, (Chapel Hill, N. C., 1968), page 207. [29] Clark, State Records of North Carolina, Arreas of
Quit Rents, vol. XXII, miscellaneous. [30] Chowan County deed, Book O-1, pages
77-78. [31] Hathaway, Abstract of
Wills, North Carolina Register, vol. I,
no. 1, page 550. [32] Hathaway, Abstract of
Wills, North Carolina Register, vol. I,
no. 1, page 550. [33] Chowan County deed: Book H-2, page 474. [34] Chowan County deed: Book H-2, page 422. [35] Walter Clark, State Records of North Carolina, vol. XXII,
miscellaneous. [36] Bertie County deeds: 1725, Book C, page
17; 1729, Book C, page 185; 1753, Book G, page 474. [37] Bertie County deeds: 1728, Book C, page
22; 1737, Book E, page 191; 1747, Book G, page 95. [38] Bertie County deeds: 1729, Book C, page
177; 1737, Book E, page 191; 1749, Book H, page 397; 1750, Book G, page 338. [39] Bertie County deeds: 1754, Book K, page
257; February 1756, Book H, page 286; October 1756, Book H, page 380. [40] Bertie County deeds: 1748, Book G, page
172; 1742, Book F, page 555. [41] Chowan County deeds: 1721, Book F-1,
page 150; 1731, Book C-1, page 657; 1735, Book W, page 243. Bertie County deeds: 1736,
Book E, page 467; 1747, Book G, page 98. [42] Bertie County deeds: 1747, Book G, page
98; 1753, Book G, page 548; 1753, Book H, page 55; 1755, Book H, page 179. [43] Bertie County deeds: 1739, Book F, page
66; 1734, Book D, page 185. [44] J. Bryan Grimes, Abstract of North Carolina Wills (Raleigh, N. C.,
1910), page 152. [45] Bertie County deed, Book E, page 350. [46] Bertie County deeds, Book F, page 494;
Book F, page 495; Book F, page 99. [47] Bertie County will Book A, page 162;
and Hathaway, Abstract of Bertie County Wills, North Carolina Register, vol. II, no. 3, page
337. [48] Bertie County deeds, 1739, Book E, page
498; 1741, Book F, page 318. [49] Grimes, North Carolina Wills and Inventories, pages
222-225. Bertie County deeds, 1747, Book G, page 95; 1751, Book G, page 366. [50] Bertie County deeds: 1749, Book H, page
346; 1749, Book G, page 237; 1754, Book H, page 174. Bertie County will: January Court
1756. Also in Grimes, North Carolina Wills and
Inventories, pages 219-222. [51] Bertie County deeds: 1748, Book G, page
172; 1742, Book F, page 555; 1751, Book G, page 423. [52] Bertie County deed: Book G, page 365. [53] Bertie County deeds: 1753, Book G, page
474; 1754, Book H, page 74. [54] Bertie County deed, Book H, page 180. [55] Bertie County Lists of Taxables,
1755-1775; North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, microfilm no. c.010.70002. [56] Chowan County deeds, 1721, Book F-1,
page 150; 1731, Book C-1, page 657; 1735, Book W, page 243; 1736, Bertie County deed, Book
E, page 467. [57] Hathaway, Abstract of Conveyances, North Carolina Register, vol. III, no. 1, page 134. [58] Bertie County deeds, 1725, Book C, page
17; May 1729, Book C, page 119; August 1729, Book C, page 185; December 1729, Book C, page
177. [59] Perquimans County deed, 1728, Book B,
no. 320 (also in Winslow, page 94); Chowan County deed, 1735, Book W, page 272. [60] Bertie County deed, Book D, page 252. [61] Perquimans County deed, Book H, no.
125; and in Winslow, page 222; Bertie County deed, 1741, Book F, page 318.
To move about in this site, click on one of the following sections:HarrellFamilies (Home Page) Chapter 2 (Harrells in Chowan County & the Gates area) Chapter 3 (Harrells in Bertie & the Hertford County area) Chapter 4 (Hertford County's 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Generations) Chapter 5 (John T., Eley, Elijah Two, Elisah, Thomas Two & their descendants) Chapter 6 (Nathan & Elizabeth's Known Descendants) Chapter 7 (John [b. c. 1794] & Winnifred Harrell, 3rd Generation) Chapter 8 (Josiah & Anna Harrell, 3rd Generation) Chapter 9 (Elizabeth Harrell & Silas Parker, 3rd Generation) Chapter 10 (Immigrants to the 3rd Generation of Hertford County Harrells) Chapter 11 (Immigrants to the 4th Generation of Hertford County Harrells) |
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